I almost took the day off work today so I could finish reading this book. It is that good! ( )

A tremendous account of a young African abducted from her village and sold as a slave on the Coast. I found the narrative riveting thanks to the details, the precise and colorful language and the simplicity of story. What I enjoyed most was Hill's capacity to describe powerful, hurtful, passionate, emotional scenes about the treatment of slaves without moralizing and judging through a vivid description of history. Nonetheless the reader feels compassion and empathy for the main character and her plight without feeling pity. I liked his choice of characters which did a great job of showing the different points of view and allegiances. An enlightening and captivating read. ( )

Absolutely enthralling; Aminata is a wonderful, fully rendered, strong character, whose personality and will to survive pulls the reader in immediately. ( )

About an African girl, Amanita, who is kidnapped in to slavery. Stunning, wrenching and inspiring this covers her life from being born in Africa, brought on a slave ship to South Carolina to Nova Scotia and Sierra Leone. The story of a woman who survives history's most trying conditions through force of intelligence and personality. ( )

I had to read this book for a book club, and I was dreading it because of the subject-matter. I have read a large number of genocide-survivor narratives, and even a few slave narratives, in my academic life (all non-fiction) and I have been emotionally shattered by each and every one of them.

However, once I got over my initial hesitation and read the first few pages I was spellbound by Aminata's amazing voice. The magic of Hill's book is that, while Aminata's story is indeed horrific and gut-wrenching, and while Hill spares us no details, the book itself manages to be lyrical and beautiful and even -- dare I say it -- hopeful.

While Hill does not claim perfect historical accuracy, the book would also have enormous value as an accessible introduction to 18th and early-19th century African, North American and British history and the history of the slave trade, as well as to the foundations of race relations and human rights abuses on three continents (including here in Canada).

Canada Reads got it right -- this is the book everyone in Canada (and elsewhere) should read this year.